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IndesignApplication · Adobe

CVE-2024-49544

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 19.5.1 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
InDesign Desktop versions ID19.5, ID18.5.4 and earlier are affected by an out-of-bounds write vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Adobe InDesign Desktop versions ID19.5, ID18.5.4 and earlier contain an out-of-bounds write vulnerability that can be triggered when a user opens a maliciously crafted InDesign file. Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution within the context of the current user session.

MitigationUpdate InDesign to the latest patched version provided by Adobe. Avoid opening InDesign files from untrusted or unknown sources until the patch is applied.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
IndesignApplication
Affected:<= 18.5.4>= 19.0, < 19.5.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Determine installed InDesign version on Windows
    Open InDesign, go to Help > About Adobe InDesign. Alternatively, check the Windows Registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\InDesign\InstallVersion or HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Adobe\InDesign\InstallVersion
    Affected if Version displayed is <= 18.5.4 or >= 19.0 but < 19.5.1
  2. Determine installed InDesign version on macOS
    Open InDesign, go to InDesign menu > About Adobe InDesign. Alternatively, navigate to /Applications/Adobe InDesign 2024/ or Adobe InDesign 2023/, right-click the InDesign app, select Get Info, and check the version number
    Affected if Version displayed is <= 18.5.4 or >= 19.0 but < 19.5.1
  3. Identify InDesign version from installer or file system
    If InDesign is not currently running, locate the executable in the installation directory. On Windows, typically at C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign 2024\ID.exe or C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign 2023\ID.exe. Right-click the executable, select Properties, and check the File version
    Affected if File version is <= 18.5.4 or >= 19.0 but < 19.5.1

You are affected if the installed Adobe InDesign version is either 18.5.4 or earlier, or 19.0 through 19.5.0. The vulnerability requires the affected software to be running and a malicious file to be opened.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 19.5.1 or later
Fixed in 19.5.1
Interim mitigation

Update InDesign to the latest patched version provided by Adobe. Avoid opening InDesign files from untrusted or unknown sources until the patch is applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe InDesign 19.5.1 or later (or latest 18.x patch if remaining on v18)

  1. 1. Close Adobe InDesign if currently running
  2. 2. Back up any important InDesign documents and settings
  3. 3. Download the latest Adobe InDesign version from the official Adobe website or Creative Cloud desktop application
  4. 4. Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the upgrade
  5. 5. After installation, verify the version by going to Help > About Adobe InDesign to confirm version 19.5.1 or later is installed
  6. 6. Reopen InDesign and test that existing documents open correctly
Caveat Upgrading may introduce minor UI changes or require revalidation of scripts/plug-ins; ensure compatibility with existing workflows before production use

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Indesign Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-49544 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data